Jumping red lights

[Red Light]

Well, blatantly that's not true as you could have slowed down on the approach to the junction.

When you're playing Need for Speed on your Fireblade, slowing down is not an option.

 

[Twigman]

Well, blatantly that's not true as you could have slowed down on the approach to the junction.

.

It wasn't a junction.
It was a pelican crossing.

There was a crowd of people waiting on the pavement.

She stepped out of the crowd with her wheeled shopping bag, I tried to miss her, she paniced and jumped right into my path.

 

[Twigman]

I can't believe there are so many folk on here defending RLJs.

You're all dangerous morons.

 

[Red Light]

It wasn't a junction.
It was a pelican crossing.

If I see someone near a crossing, I slow down in case they step into the road or the lights change on me.

On a pelican crossing legally your green light is permission to proceed if it is safe to do so, not a right to proceed. For the pedestrian the light has no legal meaning whatsoever and the pedestrian is perfectly entitled to cross the road at any time.

 

[Red Light]

I can't believe there are so many folk on here defending RLJs.

You're all dangerous morons.

So are you a cyclist or have you just joined to have a go at cyclists?

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I can't believe there are so many folk on here defending RLJs.

You're all dangerous morons.

Tell me about it. There is a militant "cyclists are always right" group on here I am sure.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

If I see someone near a crossing, I slow down in case they step into the road or the lights change on me.

On a pelican crossing legally your green light is permission to proceed if it is safe to do so, not a right to proceed. For the pedestrian the light has no legal meaning whatsoever and the pedestrian is perfectly entitled to cross the road at any time.

Link please.

 

[Twigman]

If I see someone near a crossing, I slow down in case they step into the road or the lights change on me.

If you slowed down for every group of people waiting at a pelican crossing for the green man you'd not only get nowhere fast (London's pavements are full of people) but you'd also likely cause accidents in the traffic behind you - motorists in London tend to expect to be able run at a constant speed green light after green light, slowing down at every crossing is just going to cause a concertina effect in the traffic and someone will overbrake and there'll be a rump crunch accident.

Maintaining a constant speed normally results in hitting all junction lights at green.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

If you slowed down for every group of people waiting at a pelican crossing for the green man you'd not only get nowhere fast (London's pavements are full of people) but you'd also likely cause accidents in the traffic behind you - motorists in London tend to expect to be able run at a constant speed green light after green light, slowing down at every crossing is just going to cause a concertina effect in the traffic and someone will overbrake and there'll be a rump crunch accident.

Maintaining a constant speed normally results in hitting all junction lights at green.

Amen. Red Light - If the lights have no legal significance for pedestrians why don't the government just make the lights face the traffic and save a fortune in unneeded pedestrian facing lights?

 

[Twigman]

So are you a cyclist or have you just joined to have a go at cyclists?

I am a cyclist.

I'm just not one of those cyclists who believe they have a God given right to have priority on the road over every other road user.
I am not one of those cyclists who believe the Highway Code does not apply to cyclists.

I am a cyclist.
I am a motorcyclist
I am a motorist

I have a clean driving licence.

I NEVER jump red lights

 

[stowie]

They could always wait until they have a GREEN light.

Maybe they don't wait for the green light for the same reason that Motorcyclists don't bother respecting ASLs or use cycle lanes, or buzz down bus lanes at much higher speeds than the 30mph limits.

Which is that people are sometimes a bit selfish, occasionally stupid, often a bit impatient and our brains aren't really well designed to calculate risk.

I believe one should always take care proportionate to the mode of travel one is engaged upon. In a car I always slow at junctions simply because pedestrians tend to cross at junctions, and I really don't want to run one over, even if I am technically "in the right". The thought train that says the pedestrian was "asking for it" because they didn't obey the highway code sounds very slightly psychopathic in my view.

 

[Angelfishsolo]

I am a cyclist.

I'm just not one of those cyclists who believe they have a God given right to have priority on the road over every other road user.
I am not one of those cyclists who believe the Highway Code does not apply to cyclists.

I am a cyclist.
I am a motorcyclist
I am a motorist

I have a clean driving licence.

I NEVER jump red lights

Ditto to all but the Motorcyclist part. (although I would jump a red if to stop would put my life in danger or to allow an emergency vehicle to pass.)

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Maybe they don't wait for the green light for the same reason that Motorcyclists don't bother respecting ASLs or use cycle lanes, or buzz down bus lanes at much higher speeds than the 30mph limits.

Which is that people are sometimes a bit selfish, occasionally stupid, often a bit impatient and our brains aren't really well designed to calculate risk.

I believe one should always take care proportionate to the mode of travel one is engaged upon. In a car I always slow at junctions simply because pedestrians tend to cross at junctions, and I really don't want to run one over, even if I am technically "in the right". The thought train that says the pedestrian was "asking for it" because they didn't obey the highway code sounds very slightly psychopathic in my view.

Our brains are very well developed to calculate risk. That is one reason we have become the dominant species on the planet.

 

[rowan 46]

If you slowed down for every group of people waiting at a pelican crossing for the green man you'd not only get nowhere fast (London's pavements are full of people) but you'd also likely cause accidents in the traffic behind you - motorists in London tend to expect to be able run at a constant speed green light after green light, slowing down at every crossing is just going to cause a concertina effect in the traffic and someone will overbrake and there'll be a rump crunch accident.

Maintaining a constant speed normally results in hitting all junction lights at green.

I'm talking about the occasional times I rlj on a pelican crossing, I don't do it often but it has been known

 

[Twigman]

. The thought train that says the pedestrian was "asking for it" because they didn't obey the highway code sounds very slightly psychopathic in my view.

I cared to the extent that I asked after her health and whether she survived but I really had nothing on my conscience and wasn't going to let it bother me.